title: Shedding light on nuclear actin dynamics and function.
abstract: The functions of nuclear actin have been a mystery for many years. Recent papers demonstrate that the nuclear and cytoplasmic actin pools are in dynamic communication, but that not all nuclear actin freely exchanges. Extracellular signals can induce changes in nuclear actin dynamics, affecting activity of the myocardin-related transcription factor (MRTF) transcriptional coactivators, which reversibly bind G-actin. By contrast, actin is stably associated with the Ino80 chromatin remodelling complex, where it plays a role in the recognition of nucleosome linker DNA.
authors.affiliation: CR-UK London Research Institute, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LY, UK. Richard.Treisman@cancer.org.uk
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Treisman
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism*; D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism*; D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D021381:Protein Transport; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D000199:Actins
keywords: Arp4; Ino80; actin; actin dynamics; chromatin remodelling; mDia; myocardin-related transcription factor; nucleus